Time-controlled combination circuit lock



Mar. 13, 1923.

S. D. MOTT TIME CONTROLLED COMBINATION CIRCUIT LOCK Filed July 29, 1920 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

SAMUEL D. MOTT, OF PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY.

TIME-CONTROLLED COMBINATION CIRCUIT LOCK.

Application filed Jul 29,

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL D. Mo'r'r, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Passaic, in the county of Passa-ic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'llime-Controlled Combination Circuit Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric circuit opening and closing means whose circuit closing phase is controlled by time mecha nism, to be operable only during a certain number of hours in each 24 hour day, such as may comprise a working'period, and'so that at all other times the circuit can not be closed.

Particularly my improvements are applicable to prevent the unauthorized use of motor vehicles which are oflicial property and therefore properly usable only during business hours, since by means of time control mechanism theelectric circuits through which the working parts of the vehicles may be operated are held open at all other times.

who are entitled during set periods to make use of vehicles whose electric circuits are provided with my control means, these include a switch plunger member which is normally held open by certain interfering devices, comprising a combination lock, and requiring knowledge of a given combination of character indications, which are to be arbitrarily set for the purpose, affording a clear path for the movement of the plunger which governs the operation of the switch to a circuit closing position.

Other features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of the switch plunger member in its circuit open position, and withthe time controlled means whereby it is prevented from moving to the circuit closed position.

Fig. 4'is a similar view fication.

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the showing a modi- Furthermore, so that only those persons 1920. Serial No. 399,655.

lock combination elements and the time control means for the lock.

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of a modified form of time control means, of adjustable character.

F 1g. 7 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8'8 of Fi 4 Tn carrying out my invention I provide a casing 1., having insulated compartments 2, 3, in which is mounted a shaft 4, having the contact arms 5, 5, to, respectively, engage with or be disengaged from the circuit terminals 6, 6, for either closing or opening circuits represented by said terminals with the appropriat rotation of shaft 4.

Said shaft 4 is continued through a casing 7, shown as mounted upon a dash-board 8, and as attached to casing 1. A face plate 9 covers the front of casing 7, the shaft 4 being extended out through said face plate and provided with a hand-wheel 10, by which said shaft may be turned to thus operate the contact arms.

But the shaft ,4 cannot be rotated, in either direction, until certain locking means which normally engage it have been set for the purpose. Thus said shaft 4, which is provided with gear teeth 11, is entered Within a vertical slot 12, formed in a lower portion .13 of a plunger 14, said slot having on one side thereof a rack 13 with which gear 11 is engaged, whereby the movement up and down of plunger 14 is co-incident with the rotation of shaft 4. The plunger 14 has a series of laterally projecting lugs 16 that normally abut respectively against a series of disks 17 which carry cylindrical sleeves or skirts 18, andare in superimposed relation surrounding plunger 14; said disks 17, however, each having a slot 19 adapted, when all the disks 17 are suitably turned, as by means of their milled edges, to rovide an aligned path for the passage of tiie lugs 16, thereby permitting movement of'plunger 14, so that the shaft 4 may be rotated. I

The sleeves 18, with their milled disks 1?, are revoluble between the upper and lower plates, 20, 21 of a supporting frame 22, whereof the lower plate 21 has a. slot 23 in permanent alignment with lugs 16, and the upper plate 20 has an orifice for the passage of a rod 24, comprising an extension of shaft 14. It will be clear from the foregoing description that when the disks 1'? are all appropriately turned with their slots 19 aligned with lugs 16, the plunger 14 may be moved and thus the shaft 4 turned so as to cause the contact arms 5 to close the electric circuits, but since both the slots 19 and lugs 16 are hidden from view by the skirts 18, indication means must be provided whereby the user, in rotating said. skirts by means of the milled edges on their attached disks 17, may be able to turn them into their slot aligning positions.

Therefore arbitrary characters which are to be counted and not read, are exposed upon the outer surfaces of the skirts, and suitable combinations thereof, when set in a predetermined manner, will serve to provide the lug releasing alignment of slots 19.

The precautionary means devised. by me for preventing the unwarranted use of electrically operated mechanism is not limited to the mere interposition of combination lock elements which require a predetermined setting and knowledge of a particular combination for the production of that setting, but further include the provision of certain time controlled means which permits the circuit closing means to be operable only during a given period or number of hours in each. twenty four hours, and to be inactive during the remainder of the twenty four hours.

To this end I employ a mechanical or electric clock whose hour spindle is arranged to rotate once in each twenty four hours, or which may have one to two reduction gearing so that a twelve hour time piece will transmit its hourly motion at half time ratio. Thus I have shown. the time piece with a screw pinion 26 carried by its hour shaft, having worm and screw pinions 26 and 27, and by means of a flexible shaft 28 communicating the rotary movement oi'jsaid hour shaft to a worm wheel 29, that meshes with teeth 30 on a disk 31, to revolve the latter.

The disk 31 has a pivot 32 by which it is revolubly mounted on supportingplate 20, said disk having an extending section that passes over the upper end of rod 24, to pre vent the upward movement of said rod, and thus restrain the operation of plunger 14.

Said projecting disk section is of arcuate form, with its arc of suitable extent, to represent a disk rotation period corresponding with the number of hours during which the circuit closing mechanism is to be inoperative. This period may be that between the closing and opening hours of official business, at the end whereof the disk extension passes away from the path of rod 24 for the working period, during which period those ineaeea persons knowing the lock combination may set the same and thereby be able to rotate shaft 4 and close the circuits. But in those instances where it is desirable to vary the time for the period of inactivity, I provide adjustable means of the following character.

Thus, in Figs. 6 and 7 the pivot 32 has integral therewith a disk 33, having an arouate flange 34, and a revoluble member 35, provided with the concentric crown gear 36 engaging thereby with the worm gear 29, for its actuation by the clock mechanism. Said member carries a quadrant 37, which by means of the relative adjustability between members 35 and 34, can be set to lie in the path of movement of rod 24 for any desired period within the twenty four hours of the day. Said members and 34, when adjusted are secured as by a set screw 38.

In the modification of Figs. 4 and S, the plunger 39, which corresponds with plunger 14, has a lower head 40 which is in swivelled engagementv with rack member 41, so that plunger 39, which bears the longitudinally aligned lugs 42, is revoluble in order that by different rotary settings, multitudinous combinations may be made. Said'plunger 39 is enclosed within a sleeve 43 that is slotted vertically to receive the lugs 42 and permit its independent vertical movement. Fig. 4 shows the position of the lugs to hold the slotted disks 17 in position when the circuits are energized, so that vibration and jars will not disturb them and cause the circuits to open. The sleeve 43 serves as a. central bearing for the disks 17, and, while incapable of vertical movement, rotates with plunger 39.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended herein by virtue of the foregoing disclosure.

1 claim 1. The combination, with a switch having circuit closing means, of a combination lock including a plunger for normally preventing the operation of saidcircuit closing means, settable means for the elements of said com bination lock to release said circuit closing means, time mechanism, secondary means to limit the movement of said plunger and thereby prevent the operation of said circuit closing means, and means for communicating movement from said time mechanism to limit the period during which said secondary means are effective to prevent the movement of said plunger.

2. In combination, a number of grouped terminals, a horizontal, revoluble shaft, having a gear, contacting arms carried by said shaft to engage said terminals, a series of revoluble, sleeved disks bearing external indications and each having a slot, a vertical plunger bearing lugs normally engaged by said disks, said disks being adjustable by aid of their indications to align the slots for the passage of said lugs and permit the movement of said plunger, a rack carried by said plunger, a gear upon said horizontal shaft in mesh with said rack for the movement of said plunger co-incidently with the rotation of said horizontal shaft, a time mechanism, an arcuate member to periodically intercept the movement of said plunger, and a gear train between said time mechanism and arcuate member to limit the period during which it so intercepts the 10 movement of said plunger.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York this 23rd day of July A. D. 1920.

SAMUEL D. MOTT. 

